Real talk about diet culture from the ‘Food, We Need to Talk’ authors

This week on Seasoned, we talk with content creators in the food space. Kat Ashmore is the chef (and "Hungry Lady") behind Kat Can Cook on Instagram and TikTok. We’ll talk with her about her first cookbook, just out! Big Bites: Wholesome, Comforting Recipes That Are Big on Flavor, Nourishment, and Fun.

And if you're a #ctfoodie, you likely follow David Milton's @thedamgram and @thedamtok for new restaurant alerts and to get David's picks for "the best" everything from empanadas to chicken sandwiches to mochi donuts and ice cream. (We appreciate his "3 Meals for under $20 series, too).

David makes videos on-site that make people hungry and he uses his platforms to uplift the people and places making delicious things all over our state. Producer Katrice Claudio talks with David about how and why he shines his light (literally) on the mom-and-pops you love and shares the videos with his thousands of fans and followers.

Plus, producer Tagan Engel visits a brand new coffee shop in New Haven called MOTW Coffee and Pastries. Its larger organization, Muslims of the World, began on Instagram with a mission around illuminating "the lives of Muslim individuals through their own stories. This digital space blossomed into a haven, celebrating resilience, faith, and the shared humanity that binds us all." Tagan speaks with the sibling co-owners about the shop and their specialty: traditional Yemeni chai.

GUESTS:

• Kat Ashmore: author of Big Bites: Wholesome, Comforting Recipes That Are Big on Flavor, Nourishment, and Fun (@katcancook) (Kat on TikTok)

• David Milton: Content creator behind @thedamgram and @thedamtok.

• Usama Aslam, Bilal Aslam and Zainab Aslam: Sibling co-owners of MOTW Coffee and Pastries in New Haven, Conn. (@MOTW.Coffee)

Featured Recipes:
Chimichurri Meatballs
Sweet Potato Cupcakes with Salted Maple Frosting
Mediterranean Chopped Salad with Roasted Red Pepper Dressing

This show was produced by Robyn Doyon-Aitken, Meg Dalton, Katrice Claudio, Tagan Engel, Stephanie Stender and Meg Fitzgerald. Scout Raimondo is our intern. Sabrina Herrera, Francesca Fontanez and Shanice Rhule are our Social team.

Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and email: seasoned@ctpublic.org.

Seasoned is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode.

Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Seasoned, we’re spending the hour talking about—and tasting—chocolate. We'll get a history lesson and follow cacao's journey from a bitter drink for wealthy Aztecs to the delicious thing it is today. Plus, if you care about where your food comes from and how it impacts the people who grow and harvest it, as well as the planet, we're recommending four chocolate bars that are certified organic, Fair Trade and Fair for Life.

First, you’ll meet Benoit Racquet of BE Chocolat in Fairfield. This master chocolatier is not just making artisan chocolates, he’s designing a tasting experience.

And, we talk with food historian Ramin Ganeshram about the evolution of cacao and chocolate. "So these individuals working with cacao for this world market—for colonizers, for their enslavers and those who'd indentured them—were skilled artisans," Ramin said, "they were agriculturalists, they were food scientists, and people I think don't realize that."

Finally, in between bites, Tagan Engel and Westport chocolatier Aarti Khosla recommend ethically made store-bought bars you can feel good about buying. It's a tough job, but somebody's gotta do it. Tagan prefers a tall, thin Theo, and both agree it has a good snap. One of Aarti's top picks is from Tony's Chocolonely, one of the original chocolate makers working toward a 100% exploitation free chocolate.

GUESTS:

• Benoit Racquet: Master chocolatier and co-founder of BE Chocolat in Fairfield, Conn.

• Ramin Ganeshram: Executive Director of the Westport Museum for History & Culture. She’s also a food historian, a professionally trained chef, a journalist and the author of the book, The General’s Cook, a novel which tells the story of Hercules Posey, the chef enslaved by President George Washington.

• Aarti Khosla: Chocolatier/owner of Le Rouge Chocolates by Aarti in Westport, Conn.

Chocolate bars you can feel good about buying
Tagan and Aarti tasted the following bars during their segment. All are readily available at markets or pharmacies and sell for between $3.00-$6.00.

• AlterEco (Brown Butter Dark, Organic, Fair Trade)

• Theo (Cherry Almond, Organic, Fair for Life)

• Tony’s Chocolonely  (Caramel Sea Salt, Fair Trade, Traceable Cocoa Beans)

• Divine (85% Exquisitely Smooth Dark Chocolate Bar, Fair Trade, Ghanian farmer co-owned)

Learn More:
Visit the Slave Free Chocolate website.
The Fine Chocolate Industry Association is working on a glossary to help define the terms used for ethical and sustainable chocolate.

This show was produced by Robyn Doyon-Aitken, Meg Dalton, Tagan Engel, Stephanie Stender, Katrice Claudio, Meg Fitzgerald, and Sabrina Herrera.

Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and email: seasoned@ctpublic.org.

Seasoned is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode.

Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We all have different opinions on dining alone. Some people relish the experience. Others would rather eat a bowl of bees than feel vulnerable at a table for one. . .perhaps thinking to themselves - are people judging me? 

This hour, producer Katrice Claudio reflects on solo dining and how it can actually be a way to connect — with yourself, and others. Katrice talks with writer Alissa Wilkinson. She’s a movie critic for The New York Times, and the author of the book, Salty: Lessons on Eating, Drinking, and Living from Revolutionary Women. A year ago, Alissa wrote an article for Vox called “The Glories of Dining Out Alone.”

Alissa explains some of the history of dining alone, the stigma people may still feel, and takeaways for solo-diners. . . so you might feel a little more confident if taking yourself out to dinner is part of your self-care.

Katrice also talks with local bartender Anna Konya about her experiences observing and interacting with lots of solo diners grabbing a meal at the bar.

Plus, get to know the New York City photographer behind the book, Dining Alone: In the Company of Solitude. Aside from its portraits of solo-diners, the book is an interesting visual history of restaurants spanning 35 years.

GUESTS:

• Alissa Wilkinson: Writer and a movie critic for The New York Times. She’s the author of the book, Salty: Lessons on Eating, Drinking, and Living from Revolutionary Women, and she wrote an article for Vox called “The Glories of Dining Out Alone.”

• Anna Konya: Writer, experienced bartender and cultural commentator. Find Anna's writing at Daily Nutmeg (@theflowingcup)

• Nancy Scherl: Fine art photographer. Her book is Dining Alone: In the Company of Solitude, (published by Daylight Books).

This show was produced by Robyn Doyon-Aitken, Meg Dalton, Katrice Claudio, Tagan Engel, Stephanie Stender, Meg Fitzgerald, and Sabrina Herrera.

Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and email: seasoned@ctpublic.org.

Seasoned is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode.

Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Olive oil is a thing of beauty—and essential in so much of our cooking. Olive oil sommelier Tassos Kyriakides teaches us how to better appreciate olive oil – both for its flavor and its health and ecological benefits.

And, producer Meg Dalton reports on one Connecticut organization using Palestinian olive oil to educate the community about the region. We’ll also hear from Wafa Shami, a Palestinian food blogger, about the importance of olive trees.

Plus, we talk with James Beard Award-winning chef JJ Johnson about his new book, The Simple Art of Rice.

GUESTS:

• Tassos Kyriakides: Certified Olive Oil Sommelier and Assistant Professor of the Yale School of Public Health

• Ghoufran Allababidi: President of the Tree of Life Educational Fund (@TreeofLifeEducationalFund)

• Rebecca Crosby: Board member of Tree of Life and a retired pastor of the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme

• Wafa Shami: Food blogger behind Palestine in a Dish and author of several children’s books, including Olive Harvest in Palestine. (@palistineinadish)

• JJ Johnson: James Beard Award-winning cookbook author and the founder of FieldTrip in New York City, a trio of restaurants focused around rice. His latest book is The Simple Art of Rice: Recipes from Around the World for the Heart of Your Table with Danica Novgorodoff (@chefjj) (@novgorodoff) (@fieldtripusa)

Learn More:
Education in a Bottle
Wafa Shami’s recipe for Chicken Musakhan

Featured Recipes from The Simple Art of Rice:
Seafood Paella
Filipino Adobo
Bibimbap with Pickled Vegetables

This show was produced by Robyn Doyon-Aitken, Meg Dalton, Tagan Engel, Katrice Claudio, Stephanie Stender, Meg Fitzgerald, and Sabrina Herrera.

Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and email: seasoned@ctpublic.org.

Seasoned is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode.

Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Before we go full-speed ahead on 2024, this week on Seasoned, we’re listening back to some of our favorite conversations of 2023. You'll hear moments from our episode celebrating local restaurants that have stood the test of time, an Indigenous chef who made James Beard Award history, chefs we’re cheering for (always!) and people supporting their communities through food and farming.

GUESTS:

• Frank “Wayne” Stone: Owner of the Glenwood Drive-In in Hamden, Conn. (@Glenwooddrivein)

• Kelly Ciccone: Daughter of Wayne and owner of Kelly’s Cone Connection in Hamden, Conn. (@kellysconeconnection)

• Joan Paul: Co-owner of The Griswold Inn in Essex, Conn. (@griswoldinn)

• Aaron Sarwar: Manager of Shish Kebab House of Afghanistan in West Hartford, Conn. (@shishkebabhouse)

• Angela Sarwar: Assistant Manager of Shish Kebab House of Afghanistan in West Hartford, Conn.

• Damon “Daye” Sawyer: Executive chef and co-owner of 29 Markle Ct. in Bridgeport, Conn.

• Reneé Touponce: Executive Chef at Oyster Club and The Port of Call in Mystic, Conn. (@reneetouponce)

• Rachel Sayet: Indigenous educator and member of the Mohegan Tribe

• Sherry Pocknett: James Beard Award-winning chef/owner of Sly Fox DenToo.

• Kristianna Smith and Mike Saraceno: Curators and cultivators of a pick-what-you-need garden in New Britain, Conn. (@ourgardennb)

• Richard Myers: Horticulturist/farmer and co-founder of Park City Harvest in Bridgeport, Conn. (@park.city.harvest.llc) (@park_harvest)

• Shawn Joseph: Horticulturist/farmer and co-founder of Park City Harvest in Bridgeport, Conn.

Full episodes:

CT restaurants that have stood the test of time, plus John Kanell’s ‘Preppy Kitchen’

Georgia O’Keeffe’s recipe collection, local chef Damon Sawyer, plus Prince Abou’s Butchery

Chef Reneé Touponce’s innovative approach to seafood, local clam shacks, and fish hunter Valentine Thomas

Chefs Sherry Pocknett and 'Diasporican' author Illyanna Maisonet make James Beard Award history

A gutsy talk about fermented food. Plus, big plans for Small State

Chef Rahanna Bisseret Martinez + a personal approach to community gardening

The farmers behind Park City Harvest, plus CT Wine Country

This show was produced by Robyn Doyon-Aitken, Meg Dalton, Tagan Engel, Stephanie Stender, Katrice Claudio, Meg Fitzgerald, and Sabrina Herrera. (Emily Charash was a producer on the full episode of CT Restaurants that have stood the test of time)

Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and email: seasoned@ctpublic.org.

Seasoned is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode.

Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Roya Shariat and her mother, Gita Sadeh are co-authors of the new cookbook, Maman and Me: Recipes from Our Iranian American Family.

You’ve likely seen Gita on Roya’s TikTok and Instagram, where she’s famous for flipping the most gorgeous tahdigs and picking the right-sized container for leftovers 100% of the time (there are some nail-biters and you will root for her ‘til the end).

In our conversation, Roya explains why it was important for her to document her mother’s recipes in a book, and together, they talk about the ways their culture is so deeply rooted in food and feeding one another.

Plus, some Connecticut residents talk about a cookie that’s special to them, either because of a cultural tradition, holiday or just because they love it.

You’ll hear about treasured alfajores, anisette cookies, gingerbread, rugelach, Norwegian krumkake, and more. We also learn about the cookies (and the bakers) of Sanctuary Kitchen in New Haven.

GUESTS:

• Roya Shariat and Gita Sadeh: Co-authors of Maman and Me: Recipes from Our Iranian American Family (@mamanandme) (@royashariat)

GUEST COOKIE CONTRIBUTORS:

• Joyce Thompsen Biolzi and Janice Papuga: Mother and daughter. Special cookie - Norwegian krumkake

• Leyla Dam Jenkins: Owner of Lorca Coffee Bar in Stamford, Conn. Special cookie - alfajores

• Lori Dalton: Mom of Seasoned’s Director of Storytelling. Special cookie – Italian anisette

• Ramin Ganeshram: Executive Director of Westport Museum for History & Culture. Special cookie - gingerbread

• Noah Baerman: Jazz musician and educator. Special cookie - chocolate chip

• Parvine Toorawa: Chef and baker at Sanctuary Kitchen. Special cookie - naankataj

• Azar Ahmed: Chef at Sanctuary Kitchen. Special cookie - kaak juz hind

• Rawaa Ghazi: Program Associate at Sanctuary Kitchen in New Haven, Conn. Special cookie - ma'amoul

• Tagan Engel: Producer of Seasoned. Special cookie – rugelach and Lego® gingerbread (adapted from Tartine's soft gingerbread)

FEATURED RECIPES:
Soft Almond Flour Cookies (Toots)
Crispy Egg Yolk and Walnut Cookies (Noon Tokhmorghi)
Sweet Yogurt Fritters (Noon Masti)
Tagan's Rugelach
Tagan's Lego Gingerbread Cookies

This show was produced by Robyn Doyon-Aitken, Meg Dalton, Tagan Engel, Stephanie Stender, Katrice Claudio, and Meg Fitzgerald, with help from our Social team Sabrina Herrera and Francesca Fontanez.

Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and email: seasoned@ctpublic.org.

Seasoned is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode.

Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Seasoned, real talk from the authors of the podcast—and now book—Food, We Need to Talk: The Science-Based, Humor-Laced Last Word on Eating, Diet, and Making Peace with Your Body. Juna Gjata and Dr. Eddie Phillips join producer Katrice Claudio to unpack ideas about diet culture, weight loss and what it means to be healthy.

GUESTS:

• Juna Gjata: Co-host of the podcast and co-author of the book, Food, We Need to Talk. She graduated from Harvard with a degree in cognitive neuroscience. (@theofficialjuna) (@foodweneedtotalk)

• Dr. Edward Phillips: Co-host of the podcast and co-author of the book, Food, We Need to Talk. He is Associate Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School, and the founder and director of the Institute of Lifestyle Medicine at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston.

This show was produced by Robyn Doyon-Aitken, Meg Dalton, Katrice Claudio, Stephanie Stender, Tagan Engel, Meg Fitzgerald, and Sabrina Herrera.

Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and email: seasoned@ctpublic.org.

Seasoned is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode.

Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Don’t you just love a good secret? Here’s one: baking isn’t any harder than cooking. You don’t have to stress about preciseness, food science or perfection. Samantha Seneviratne is a baker, a contributor to the New York Times, and the host of Everyday Cooking on Magnolia Network. She’s also a James Beard Award-nominated cookbook author and her latest book is Bake Smart: Sweets and Secrets from My Oven to Yours. We talk with Sam about her book and get her to spill those secrets so you can bake with confidence.

Plus, producer Tagan Engel talks with Shamu Fenyvesi Sadeh about the work being done at the Adamah campus of the Isabella Freedman Retreat Center in Falls Village, CT. Programs, immersive retreats, and fellowships at the center aim to help people better understand and experience the connection between Judaism, agriculture and the Earth.

GUESTS:

• Samantha Seneviratne: Author of Bake Smart: Sweets and Secrets from My Oven to Yours. Get info about the book/baking event at Byrd's Books happening on December 10. (@samanthaseneviratne)

• Shamu Fenyvesi Sadeh: Managing Director of Education Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center, an Adamah campus in Falls Village, Conn. (@adamah)

• Jaimie Sadeh: Art therapist. Jaimie joined to talk about cooking latkes and other traditional foods to celebrate Hanukkah

FEATURED RECIPES:
Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Tagan Engel's Ultimate Latkes

This show was produced by Robyn Doyon-Aitken, Meg Dalton, Tagan Engel, Stephanie Stender, Katrice Claudio, Meg Fitzgerald, and Sabrina Herrera.

Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and email: seasoned@ctpublic.org.

Seasoned is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode.

Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This hour, chef Raquel Rivera, a cooking teacher and owner of A Pinch of Salt, and Jason Sobocinski, a local food entrepreneur, share tips for cooking a Thanksgiving turkey with all the fixins’.

And intern Lateshia Peters talks with her mom Nicole Lewis about why their Thanksgiving meal is centered around the food of her Grenadian heritage. Think: Caribbean-spiced salmon, fry-bakes, and cocoa tea.

Plus, producer Tagan Engel speaks with Hi’ilei Hobart, a professor of Native and Indigenous Studies at Yale, and Rebecca Salazar, a student seed keeper with the Yale Native American Cultural Center and the Yale Sustainable Food Project. They spoke at the Yale farm about their adventure this year - growing and saving seeds of the special Haudenosaunee Buffalo Creek squash. These two indigenous women also speak to the importance they feel in connecting with indigenous and ancestral foods such as the three sisters: beans, corn and squash - to counter the challenges of colonization. 

GUESTS:

• Raquel Rivera: Chef/owner of A Pinch of Salt

• Jason Sobocinski: Co-owner/partner of Caseus Provisions in Wallingford, Crispy Melty by Caseus, Olmo Bagels, Ordinary and Haven Hot Chicken in New Haven, Mystic Cheese Company in Groton and Black Hog Brewing Company in Oxford.

• Lateshia Peters and Nicole Lewis: Lateshia is a CT Public Intern and Nicole is her mom.

• Hi’ilei Hobart: Assistant Professor of Native and Indigenous Studies in the program of Ethnicity, Race, and Migration at Yale University. Also author of Cooling the Tropics and editor of Food Ways Hawaii.

• Rebecca Salazar: Undergrad studying Ethnicity, Race, and Migration at Yale. Rebecca is a Seed Keeper and Programs Liaison between the Native American Cultural Center - (NACC) and the Yale Sustainable Food Program (YSFP).

This show was produced by Robyn Doyon-Aitken, Meg Dalton, Tagan Engel, Stephanie Stender, Katrice Claudio, Meg Fitzgerald, and Sabrina Herrera. Special thanks to the Yale Sustainable Food Program and to Fafa­­­­­­ Van Ha, Lazarus Fellow at the Yale Sustainable Food Program for contributing to the Buffalo Creek squash segment. 

Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and email: seasoned@ctpublic.org.

Seasoned is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode.

Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Stacey Mei Yan Fong dreamed up the most delicious way to learn more about the United States, her chosen home. We talk with Stacey about her first cookbook, 50 Pies, 50 States; the immigration story that inspired it; and the pure joy that pie brings.

Stacey created the 50 Pies, 50 States project while applying for permanent residency in the United States. She researched each state, developed a pie recipe inspired by the state, and dedicated the pie to a friend or special person connected to that state.

Some pies are wild and wonderful—Nevada’s “All-You-Can-Eat Buffet Pie” and Minnesota’s “Corn Dog-Hotdish Pie with Savory Funnel-Cake Topping” are examples (there are a few state-fair-inspired pies as well). And some pies highlight a state’s fun facts. Did you know that the snickerdoodle is Connecticut's state cookie? Stacey details the backstories behind her unique pies and gives home bakers tips for baking great pies, whether they’re dedicated to someone or just made to share and spread joy.

Plus, we spotlight a story Where We Live explored about the surprising connection between baking powder and our state. Patrick Skahill hosts a conversation with food historian Linda Civitello.

GUESTS:

• Stacey Mei Yan Fong: Home baker and the author of 50 Pies, 50 States: An Immigrant’s Love Letter to the United States Through Pie. (@50pies50States)
• From the Where We Live Feature:
  Linda Civitello: Food Historian; Author, Baking Powder Wars: The Cutthroat Food Fight that Revolutionized Cooking

FEATURED RECIPES:
Connecticut: Snickerdoodle Pie
Massachusetts: Boston Cream Pie Pie
New Hampshire: Maple Pumpkin Pie with Painted Birch Tree Crust

This show was produced by Robyn Doyon-Aitken, Catie Talarski, Meg Dalton, Stephanie Stender, Tagan Engel, Katrice Claudio, Meg Fitzgerald and Sabrina Herrera. Special thanks to Patrick Skahill and Katie Pellico.

Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and email: seasoned@ctpublic.org.

Seasoned is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode.

Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.